Rolling bearing arrangements with integrated sensor units, also known as sensor bearings, are used to detect different bearing state variables, e.g. speed, temperature and rotational angle. The disadvantage with the previously known solutions is that such rolling bearing arrangements are generally special products and are thus available only in a certain range of variants.
DE 10 2012 202 522 A1 shows a sensor bearing by means of which operating states within a rolling bearing can be detected and transmitted to a signal receiver. To measure the forces acting on the rolling elements, use is made of at least one pickup, which is arranged in the rolling element cage. The rolling element cage has a number of pockets to accommodate rolling elements. One to four pockets are not fitted with rolling elements, allowing pickups to be arranged instead of the rolling elements. The pickups are connected to the cage in a manner fixed against relative rotation. The disadvantage here is that the reduced number of rolling elements can lead to fluctuating loads in the bearing and to impaired concentricity of running.
DE 10 2009 021 469 A1 describes a sensor bearing unit comprising a rolling bearing designed as a ball roller bearing with a sensor housing arranged on a bearing race and having an integrated sensor device for detecting operating states of the bearing. The sensor housing is designed as an adapter ring resting against a free circumferential surface or an end face of a bearing race. The adapter ring is dimensioned in such a way that the radial dimensions or the axial dimensions of the overall sensor bearing unit are at most equal to those of a ball bearing with the same bearing capacity. This makes it possible to interchange a ball bearing and a ball roller bearing with an integrated sensor device while using the same installation space.
DE 10 2007 042 478 A1 describes a rolling bearing device having a sensor system for generating a sensor signal related to the rotation of the inner race relative to the outer race. The sensor system comprises a sensor element having at least one reed contact, which detects a magnetic signal from the signal transmitter as a sensor signal. The sensor element can be incorporated into a bearing cover ring designed as a flat annular disk. This bearing cover ring is preferably fixed on the bearing race which is stationary in operation. The signal transmitter is fastened on one end of the rolling bearing cage and can be designed as a single permanent magnet or encoder disk.